Of Battles and Wars
by Naidoo
Summary: jack's pheromones are strong, but Ianto's pheromone spray is stronger. Teaching Jack a lesson in desperation was long overdue.


_AN: I am not really sure what the idea for this one came from - but I knew I got it and than just couldn't stop writing until finished. The ending is slightly open ended. I am aware I could easily have made this a M-rating, but sometimes leaving things to your imagination is so much better. _

* * *

Ianto Jones was a firm believer in following the rules. And certainly not to misuse company 'property' for personal use. But even he had to admit that sometimes a rule could be broken – especially if the need arose to teach someone a very valid lesson.

Said someone was Captain Jack Harkness – and if Ianto had his way that dingy smile he was displaying for way too long now was about to vanish.

He blamed it on these damn 51st century pheromones. These damn things had his head spinning since day one. Ianto never was into men – at all. He didn't consider himself gay, or even questioned his sexuality until he met Harkness. It was like every time Ianto took a whiff he was under the influence of some drug. He couldn't think straight anymore and instead some_thing_ else took care of the thinking part. His libido in particular.

And it wasn't as if Jack didn't know. He did. As a matter of fact he made it plain clear that he knew in what _predicament_ Ianto was. Of course he wouldn't be Jack Harkness if anything he ever did was simple – Ianto knew that much from the start, He had worked after all long enough for Torchwood London to hear enough stories, tales and 'legends'. Probably not even half of them were true, but that still left more than enough.

It was like Jack set the rules right from the start. Rules, Ianto wasn't keen on following or had no intention of participating. But of course that was before he was exposed to Jack's pheromones on a daily basis. Escaping lead to nowhere. It seemed like Jack would always find him – usually presenting the most outrageous reasons why he needed Ianto to do something for him. Reasons like that he needed _that_ cup of coffee RIGHT NOW. Or that something needed dusting – as if lives depended on it. Ianto would probably have been flattered at some stage if it wasn't for him knowing the Captain's agenda.

There was this constant flirting. The never-ending innuendo and very straight forward actions that left Ianto with no doubt that Jack wanted him. Sexual harassment seemed something Jack never heard of. The same seemed to apply to the concept of personal space.

When Jack gave him his first weapon training Jack was pressed so close against Ianto that people watching them might have had trouble telling where one ended and the other started. And Ianto didn't imagine the hard bulge pressing into his back. Or the wandering hands. So much for personal space.

There had been countless times where Jack was more or less all over him, his voice coaxing, his hands everywhere. And not for the first time did Ianto find himself wondering how far he would let Jack go. Ianto never had anything with a guy before. Never felt anything like he was feeling in all these moments alone with Jack. Not even when he was with Lisa. So did that make him a gay and in the closet so far? Or just unsure? Was he now bi? One thing was for sure, he certainly _craved_ Jack.

Ianto Jones wasn't a coward. If he wanted something he went after it. Maybe a bit more subtle than people like Jack or Gwen would do, but the results were the same. He certainly wasn't afraid of admitting things if the need arose. And he wouldn't be having issues telling Jack just how much he wanted him – although he still wasn't quite sure, whether the pheromones might not play a certain part in this. Jack had said it himself a few times. No one could 'make' you gay – not even his pheromones. They just took what was there already and maximized the effect.

Ianto wasn't stupid. He knew something was going on. Because usually Jack certainly wasn't coy. If he wanted something he went for it. Regardless of the circumstances or whether or not there might be a chance to be let down. If he wanted something he went after it, with all means, until he could claim it his. And if he wanted someone the rules applied – more or less. If he wanted someone, seduction was his plan. And seducing he did. Ianto had witnessed it after all more than enough. Waiting – or patience therefore – was not something Jack usually did.

It was as if Jack was… testing. Pushing. Seeing how far he could go and get away with it. The problem was that Ianto would let jack get away with an awful lot, if only there ever was more. But…. The way they were currently, Jack was only pushing and pushing. But then pulling back last minute, leaving Ianto more than just frustrated. As a matter of fact, Ianto had now found himself waking up in the middle of the night, stuffing sheets and a rather hard problem at his hand. After a week of waking up every single night, the effects of his rather X-rated dreams, staring him and jack in compromising positions, he decided something needed to happen. If jack wasn't willing to make the next step, Ianto would.

He had barely left Jack's office after his first round of coffee that morning and a full dose of Harkness-charm when he witnessed Owen, Tosh and Suzie looking up at him in a funny way. There were looks between the trio, wild talking and strange gestures that all somehow seemed to include Ianto.

There was shacking of heads and more gesturing. Ianto had long moved down a few stairs towards the Mainhub and yet, the three of them were still gesturing. Altering between Jack's office and him. Clearly whatever they were discussing involved him and Jack. And then he saw a bill going from Owen's to Suzie, with Owen looking less than impressed. That was when the penny dropped on Ianto's side. They had a bet going on.

A few days after his discovery, Ianto knew what he had to do. He hadn't managed to talk to jack so far. And Jack certainly hadn't toned but, but even managed to raise the bar – if that was even possible. Ianto reached a stage of sheer desperation and frustration. He was close to just damn his own rules, walk up to Jack's office and shove his boss against the first flat surface he'd find. But he also reached a point where he decided…payback was a bitch. And maybe it was time to teach Jack a lesson and give him a taste of his own medicine.

Ianto Jones was a firm believer in following the rules. And certainly not to misuse company 'property' for personal use. But even he had to admit that sometimes a rule could be broken. Especially if it helped him teach someone a lesson. A, what he would value as very important lesson.

The thing was, working for Torchwood meant access to all sorts of interesting techs and gadgets. Gadgets like pheromone sprays that were several times stronger than what Jack had on offer. He had seen it being used in one or two – admittedly dubious – missions.

There was a part of him that expressed doubts and maybe a tiny bit of a conscious. But it wasn't as if he was doing something Jack might not want to participate in. Jack might have said that no one could make you gay, but Ianto wasn't so sure if the same still applied when it came to the spray. It was rather strong in its effect. Not that not being gay would have been an issue with Jack. The rumors had been true – as Ianto had discovered pretty much a minute after he started working for Torchwood Cardiff. Jack would shag almost anything.

Time for a little payback. If Jack wanted to play, Ianto was prepared.

He had planned to stay the furthest away from Jack as possible for a few days – making the spray so much more effective. And then his plan kicked in. Spritzing himself sparsely a few times at key points like wrist and pulse points, he was prepared. He had made sure Owen, Suzie and Tosh wouldn't be able to cross his way to Jack's office – reducing the risk of them being exposed to him and his pheromones.

He took a cup of coffee with him, as well as a few files he had been collecting over the last two days.

He could literally _feel_ the first whiff Jack took. The first time Jack got hit with a full dose of pheromones. He saw Jack slightly shack his head as if trying to shack away a funny smell. The nice thing about the spray was, that it technically was without scent. It worked like Jack's pheromones. They didn't have a certain special scent, they just maximized what was there all along. So Jack wouldn't be able to notice it as alien tech being 'misused'.

When Jack shock his head another three, four times more and gave Ianto a funny look, the Welshman figured he should at least play a certain part for now.

"Are you alright, sir? You seem a bit… out of it," he asked, trying to sound halfway concerned and looked at Jack quizzically.

"Fine. Just… something in the air I guess," Jack responded, signing the last file Ianto had presented him with. "Are you… are you wearing a new aftershave?" Jack all of a sudden asked when closing the last file and handing it to Ianto. The younger man just smiled softly. "No. As a matter of fact, I'm not wearing any aftershave at all," he answered, and technically he wasn't lying.

That got him a questioning look from Jack. "If you need anything else, Sir, you know where to find me." And gone he was, deciding to go easy on Jack for a start.

He chose his routes through the Hub very carefully, trying to avoid exposure of the others to the spray. God knew, the last thing they needed was Owen, Tosh and Suzie acting stranger than they already did. And he had his hands full with Jack, he certainly didn't need to add their three colleagues to the mix.

For four days Ianto appeared in Jack's office under all sorts of strange excuses. Excuses that got him to stand close to Jack, experiencing Jack's reaction to Ianto first hand. And the longer this took, the more desperation Ianto could feel. There might have been a moment when Ianto felt slightly bad, seeing Jack's inner struggle to not just fall all over Ianto and have him right there and then. Which Ianto had no problem with.

Occasionally he didn't use the spray for a day, just to give Jack a bit of a break and be able to actually interact with the rest of the team.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed, tea-boy," Owen said to him one day, making Ianto look at their medic in a confused way.

"Impressed with what?" he finally asked, when it became obvious that Owen wouldn't go on.

"You know, how at some companies, where the boss is a real bastard, people have a pool of how long the new guy lasts before he quits?" he asked and for a moment Ianto wondered whether he had assumed too much of their little bet.

The Welshman just nodded, deciding to see where this would lead.

"Well… we have a pool as well. Every new guy that starts and Jack gets all… hot for – which in all fairness doesn't seem to take an awful lot to achieve… Well… anyway our pool is about… how long it takes until the new guy gives up resistance and shags the Captain. So far you outdid every one before you."

"Charming… does…. Does Jack know about your bet?" he asked cautiously.

Owen just looked at him. "Please. It is Jack bloody Harkness we are talking about. Of course he does."

"Does he… does he partake?" Ianto asked and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

"What do you think?" Owen just grins and Ianto wonders why he isn't actually insulted. He should feel bad for Jack apparently only seeing this as a game. But strangely enough he didn't. It was what Owen said earlier. He could feel, sooner or later this would happen anyway. Not that this made anything better.

"Don't tell me you are actually feeling betrayed or bad?" Owen all of a sudden said and Ianto looked at him confused. "The way I see it, he isn't forcing you, isn't betting on how long it takes for him to take you to bed. He is betting on how long it takes for you to take him to bed…"

"And that's supposed to make it better?"

"From where I am standing… you could go hiding in the archives all day and avoid him. Nothing would ever happen. In the end of the day you are the one who…has the power."

"So… did any of you… I mean, were any of you ever part of… that… bet? I mean did any of you ever…"

At that Owen just looked at him almost horrified. "Please. Not in a million years. At least that's for me and Tosh. Not everyone becomes subject of that bet. Just the ones where it is obvious there is mutual attraction."

"And Jack knows about that…" Ianto more or less mused. Whole new information. And maybe it was time to step up the game. "So… that bet… is about when I jump him – so to speak?"

Owen nodded, his focus on the computer game in front of him.

"What happens if Jack jumps me first – given that… would happen. That anything would ever happen. "

"Not gonna happen. Jack knows… sooner or later, he'll win. That's the whole point. Have you ever met someone who can resist Jack?"

Ianto was about to change that.

He gave it three days, turning up the dose of the spray with each day. On the third day, he knew this was it. He had witnessed Jack the past few days, twitching, hardly able to keep his hands of Ianto. He noticed Jack's slowly building desperation, his craving, his need. He was aching for the younger man in every possible way.

Ianto knew – because it was plain obvious from the state of Jack's clothes – that Jack had gone and tried to find release. That he went out and came home with someone. Someone who was supposed to give him that relief and most likely succeeded – for that moment.

On the third day Ianto played it up. Not only did he increase the dose, he also decided against his usual neat attire and went for a slightly disshelved look. Loose tie, a few wrinkles in his usually rather perfect shirt and only his waistcoat with one or two buttons undone.

Jack's look when he saw Ianto stepping into his office after everyone had gone home was priceless. And it was that moment that Ianto realized, Jack might have thought he had won a battle, but Ianto was about to win the war.

Jack jumped Ianto even before he had both feel in the Captains office. Or before the door had been closed.

**°'°THE END°'°**


End file.
